Vegetable-glue base



Patented Sept. 3, 1929.

. UNITED STA" Es PA TENVTI OFFICE.

i ELLERY H. HARVEY, OF LANSDALE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- 'MENTS, TO PERKINS GLUE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

VEGETABLE-GLUE BASE.

No Drawing.

-My invention relates to improvements in vegetable glue bases and more particularly to vegetab eglue bases adapted for making glue of strong binding power especially such as is suitable for gluing up wood work as in furniture veneering.

In the past it has been common select or prepare a suitable starch base for this purpose, the preparation of base bein accomplished by treatment of, starch wit chemicalsfi as gor example in the manner described in or U. S. Patent 1,020,656 and when the treatment has been completed the chemicals have been neutralized or removed in order to prevent any further action thereof on the starch. Likewise it has been the practice to carefull keep separate from the dry glue base a l chemica s which are to be used in connection with the solution of the base to form the glue until the final mixture of the glue is made with water and the dissolving chemicals.

I have discovered however that by proper selection and application of the chemical or chemicals or some of them to be used in connection with the solution of the starch base to form the adhesive glue, that it or they may be mixed with the dry starch and left therein for relatively lon -periods of-time until it so is desired to disso ve the base to form glue without material detriment to the resultant glue, and according to my invention in its preferred form the chemical so mixed with the dry glue base in advance not only aids in dissolving the base to form glue but also by proper proportioning of the same, serves to give the resulting glue the desired fluidity. By no improvements the proper proportioning 0 the chemical to the particular starchy 40 carbohydrate used may be done in advance on large quantities of glue base and thus avoid serious trouble by reason of the glue mixing men in the factories where the glue is made up and used, failing to adopt proper pro- 46 ortions. That is, according to my invention,

I am not only able to make substantial economies in the cost of manufacture of such glues but to produce, more chea ly than the ordinary modified starch used or this purpose, a

Reissue Letters Patent 13,436

Application filed January 28, 1923. Serial No. 615,152.

new glue base composition that contains or 50 embraces within itself constituents which without depending so largely on the judgment of the glue mixer, may suitably adjust the fluldlty of his batch of glue at the time of mlxing or dissolving the same. As chemicals to use with the dry starch of this new glue base I prefer to use "solid crystalline oxidizing salts of non-hydroscop1c character pulverized to 100 mesh and to admix them intimately by machinin with the starch in the dry condition.

en I speak of dry starch I include, of course,

-starch'conta1ning the varying amount of water which usually accompanies the same incommerce but which is dryin the ordinary acceptance of that term, and the oxidizing agent is mixed therewith and remains mixed therewith, without the starch being converted thereby. I prefer also to accurately proportionthe quantity-of such oxidizing agent to the precise character of the starch and am enabled thereb to re late orcontrol the final viscosity of t e resu tant fin-- ished glue in a way and to a degree that has hitherto been unknown. For the starch I I prefer to use cassava starch which comes in powdered form and is commonly known as tapioca flour. I prefer cassava starch or some such tuber starch because they are substantially free from lu'ten; Gluten is nitrogcompound I prefer to dry pulver- Q0 ized barium peroxide. Thebarium peroxide may be mixed with V dry tapioca flour, preferably either in a grinding machine or in some form of mixer and it is best to make this mixing as thorough as possible so that the A tapioca flour shall comp etely surround and permeate'the barium piiamxide. Thurzdprepared the base may be g pped and ate for v 589,549, filed Sept. 21, 1922, except the oxidizing agent is mixed with the dry starch to form a dry starch base which may be transported and stored until ready for-use and the only chemical added at the time of dissolving the base to form the glue is or may be the caustic alkali.

Likewise the improved base is particularly advantageous for making a quick setting vegetable glue as described in my copending application Ser. No. 615,151, filed January 26, 1923.

The improved base lends itself to solution in water with the aid of a solvent of starch and simultaneous degeneration of the starch by the oxidizing agent, the proper amount of oxidizing agent for this purpose being determined in advance but the degree" of degeneration of the starch being more or less within the control of the operator or gluemixer by his adjusting the temperature, time,

and other conditions of dissolving.

Instead of barium peroxide there can be used with more or less success, highly oxidizing salts or com ounds i. e. those which act on starch to re uce its viscosity, such as other alkaline peroxides, per-borates, percarbonates, etc., but the peroxides I believe give the best results. It has been suggested to admix with a wheat or other starch, aqueous solutions of acids or dry powdered alkalies such as finely divided caustic soda or caustic potash. I find, however, that under some conditions these have an indeterminate action on the starch during the transit and storage and that, therefore,

A the resulting product is not reliable for use in making veneer glue. Furthermore if by any accldent the material does become damp in storage or transit it is likely to be entirely ruined.

For this reason I prefer the peroxide of barium' or other peroxide .of an alkaline earth metal. The peroxide of sodium or potassium is not so desirable because of the highly hygroscopic character thereof which results in its decomposition due to moisture in the air and the fact that the-moisture thus attracted promotes further accumulated decomposition of the peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide can be used provided the material is packed and stored in a proper manner but is not as advantageous as thebarium peroxide. Certain of the persulphates can be applied with more or less satisfactory results. Bleaching powder can be used in certain cases but if used in sufiicient quantityto produce enough action on the vegetable material its action is likely to proceed in the wrongdirection and result in a glue which is only partially satisfactory.

From the above it will be apparent that many different materials may be used and the invention embodied in widely difi'erentforms and I therefore desire to cover all bases coming within the language or scope of any one or more of the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Let;- ters Patent, is: r v

1. A vegetable glue base consisting of starch substantially free from gluten and in the substantially dry state physically admixed with a substantially non-hygrosco ic oxidizing agent in dry form,'without being converted by the latter.

I 2. A vegetable glue base consisting of a starch in the substantially dry state intlmately and physically admixed with a substantially non-hygroscopic peroxide without being converted by the latter.

3. A vegetable glue base consisting of a starch in the substantially dry state physically admixed with an alkaline earth peroxide without being converted by the latter, said peroxide being adapted to render sultably fluid the finished glue obtained upon putting the base into solution.

4. A vegetable glue base consisting of starch in the substantially dry state having physically admixed therewith barium peroxide without being converted by theJatter,

-said peroxide being adapted to render suitably fluid the finished glue obtained upon putting the base into solution.

5. A vegetable glue base consisting of a starch substantially free from gluten and in substantially dry powdered form physically admixed with a dry-powdered substantially non-hygroscopic peroxide without bein converted by the latter, said peroxide eing adapted to render suitably fluid the finished glue obtained upon putting the base into so lution.

6. A vegetable lue base consisting of a starch in substant1allydr powdered form having physically admixe therewitha powdered peroxide without being converted b the latter, said peroxide beingadapted to a feet the fluidity of and render suitably fluid the finished glue obtained upon putting the base into solution.

7. A vegetable glue base .consistin of a starch in a substantiall dry powdere' form having intimately an physically admixed therewith less than 5%of substantially dry BaO, without beingoonverted by the latter, agent in powdered form without being con- 10 said BaO bein adapted to render suitably verted by the latter, said oxidizing agent fluid the finishe glue obtained upon putting bein 7 adapted to render suitably fluid the the base into solutlon. finisfied glue obtained uFon putting the base 8. A vegetable glue base consisting of a into solution substantia 1y as described.

starch substantially free from gluten and in In testimony whereof I have signed my 15 the substantially dry state having intimately name to this specification.

and physicall admixed therewith a substantially nonygroscopic alkaline oxidizing I ELLERY H. HARVEY. 

